Interview: Lynn Lim on finding her place in the world
Beauty queen. Model. Television personality. Actress. Lynn Lim knows a thing or two about reinventing oneself and the long journey of discovering one’s true passion. Nearly a decade in the industry, she has finally found her place in the world.
Cinema may not be dead but neither is it alive. It’s barely holding on. While there are a mountain of reasons driving the slow decay, a disposable culture driven by cheap thrills and the spectacle of metahuman mythologies has opened up the floodgates for other established IPs to reign supreme, leaving little to no room for original content to prosper. Lynn Lim is not one to turn her nose up at such fare, but even she acknowledges the preferences of local moviegoers. The Penang-born model who first burst into the scene in 2014 via the Miss Universe Malaysia pageant swiftly made her transition into acting with a number of television shows shortly after, taking on one demanding role after another—from a sullen “bar girl” to a sophisticated Nyonya lady in a period piece—with aplomb. She seeks to once again reinvent herself, venturing deeper into the world of filmmaking.
On a rainy day in Cherating, occasionally interrupted by the howling wind interspersed by the sound of crashing waves in the background, we spoke to Lim about her acting work, the world of movies, her vision for the future and getting away from it all.
Read on to get a glimpse into Lynn Lim's journey of discovering one’s true passion:
WHERE THE WIND BLOWS
What is life like for a Malaysian actress like yourself?
You know, in Malaysia—I’m not sure whether I can say this or not—the scene is quite sad. Moviegoers don’t appreciate the kind of work that I do. They appreciate something else and it’s not something that I believe in. In the end, our effort is only seen by a handful of people.
What attracts you to a project?
I appreciate something that is down to earth, true and real. I strongly believe that when you act, you are actually channelling a real person—someone out there is living that life. So, you have to be truthful and so does your performance. I’d be very excited if the director believes in that kind of story-telling and performance. That is the kind of opportunity that I’ve been waiting for.
Is there a difference in the way you approach TV and film roles?
When it comes to TV, more often than not, the kind of performance that’s required of you tends to be more exaggerated. Ho Yuhang, a director I had worked with who also took me to the Busan Film Festival this year, used to tell me to not overdo it and be subtler. I keep reminding myself of that whenever I’m on set.
Speaking of the Busan Film Festival, what was your experience like?
It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. It felt like your efforts hadn’t gone to waste. I got to meet other filmmakers from around the world who put in a lot of effort into their craft and I felt very motivated because they too work hard to overcome their own unique obstacles. They still believe in the industry and in film as a medium.
And one of them was Hirokazu Koreeda…
Oh my god, yes! Have you seen his movies?
I loved Shoplifters and Our Little Sister! So I was really excited to ask you this: what did you guys talk about?
We actually didn’t talk much because I was so excited and I went crazy. We were at this after party event where my friend told me, frantically, that he was there. I looked over and my first thought was “Oh sh*t, I have to take a picture with him” and I did. I went straight to him.
What was he like in person?
He was very friendly. But I was in such a daze that I couldn’t string two words together <laugh>. The only thing that I could say was “I’m a big fan” and I kept repeating that to him several times. I loved his work La Vérité (The Truth) and I couldn’t even tell him that. It got to the point where my producer had to step in and introduced me to him!
Speaking of which, aside from Koreeda, who are your dream collaborators?
There are just too many to mention. "at being said, one of my biggest dreams is to work with Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien. And how could I forget Pedro Almodóvar? I really enjoyed Parallel Mothers and his other films like Volver. I love him so much that I took a trip to Madrid for the sole reason that most of his films were shot there.
That sounds like a fun trip. What other memorable trips have you had so far?
Probably my recent trip to Bali. I was riding a motorcycle, without a license, and I was making this uphill turn before I lost my balance and fell down. My boyfriend who was on the pillion seat even told me to stop and let him down beforehand because it’s quite dangerous but I didn’t listen to him. I feel that that was quite funny and memorable.
Do you keep a souvenir from each place you visit?
I always buy (fridge) magnets whenever I’m in different cities.
What does your ideal vacation look like?
There are two types of vacation that I take: detoxification and developmental. The former is when I go on island trips to cleanse myself of negative energy whereas the latter is when I go on city trips where I’d go to museums and galleries, and explore different kinds of things to enrich myself with new experiences. It depends on which kind of vacation I need at the time.
What’s next for you?
There’s one upcoming project that I’m quite excited about. I cannot disclose any information about the film just yet but I can tell you that we’ll go into production at the end of February or March and the principal photography will take place in Singapore. It’s a joint collaboration with a number of countries so we’ll have a cast consisting of actors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and more.
COVER CREDITS:
Words: Nikita Nawawi
Creative Direction & Styling: Ian Loh
Photographer: Chee Wei
Makeup: Chufan
Hair: Chiaki Sabata
Styling Assistant: Amelia Tan
All outfits & accessories: Chanel Cruise 2022/23
Special thanks to Club Med Cherating
